Car-derailer.



No; 888,892. PATENTED MAY 26, 1908. R. HAMILTON.

GAR DERAILER. I

APPLICATION FILED F113. 8, 1908.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

No. 888,892. PATENTED MAY 26,1908.

R. HAMILTON.

GAR DERAILER. Q APPLIOATION FILED FEB. B, 1908.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.-

ROBERT HAMILTON, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

GAR-DEBAILER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Application filed February 8, 1908. Serial No. 414,962.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HAMILTON, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State ofAlabama, h ave invented new and useful Im )rovements in Car-Derailers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to what I shall for convenience designate a car derailer.

A car derailer involving my invention may be associated with a car in any desirable way. When I use the term car it will be evident that I do so in a broad or generic sense to include, not only the device thus generally known, but any equivalent vehicle or any wheeled part that is capable of traveling along rails or similar or substantially analogous guiding means. railway vehicle a derailing member which is of such a nature as to permit free or unobstructed forward movement of such vehicle or car but which also will positively and automatically derail the vehicle on backward movement thereof or when such vehicle or car has been accidentally retracted a certain or predetermined distance.

A derailer involving my invention can be put to advantageous use in many different connections, although it is of prime utility when employed in conjunction with a train or, as it is sometimes known, trip of mine cars. In making up a train of such cars they are connected sometimes by ropes or other coupling means and cases are known where the train, while on an incline, becomes accidentally freed. In this contingency the train will start down the incline and an accident will inevitably follow. The device constituting my present invention will eliminate such a possibility as this. I prefer that the derailing attachment be connected with the rear car of such a train and, should the latter accidentally descend an incline, the derailing attachment becomes automatically effective for derailing the final or last car of the train and thereby avoids disastrous accidents.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification I show in detail one simple and effective form of embodiment of the invention which, to enable those skilled in the art to practice said invention, will be set forth at length in the following descrip tion, while the novelty of the invention will be included in the claims succeeding said description.

I combine with a Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of a car equipped with a derailing device involving my invention, the car being on the rails. Fig. 2 is a similar view with two of the car wheels elevated above said rails by the derailing member. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the car shown as. slightly laterally swung in the act of being derailed. Fig. 4 is a side view of the derailing device. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of said derailing device. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the support for the derailing device, and Fig. 8 is a like view of the hub portion of said derailing device.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings I have shown a vehicle with which my derailer is effectively adapted for cooperation, and the vehicle thus shown is an ordinary mine car as 10 constructed to travel on a railway composed of rails as 11 which are shown inclined in Figs. 1 and 2, and it is one of the purposes of my invention to effect the derailing of such a vehicle or car as 10 when the latter is accidentally descending a grade and more especially when such vehicle or car is the last one of a train. Fromwhat has hereinbefore been stated, it will be apparent, however, that the derailing device may be used in many other ways, and I wish to also make it clear that I do not restrict in self to the precise form of derailing device i lustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more particularly described, for certain variations with respect to the invention may be made within the sco e of the claims thereof.

11 Fig. 1 I have shown by arrows the direction of movement of the car or vehicle 10 and the direction of rotation of the traction wheels of said car or vehicle. In Fig. 2 I have shown by the large arrow the direction of retractive or backward movement of the car or that which it would follow in accidentally descending a grade, and in this figure I have shown by the small arrow on the left the direction of turning movement of the wheels at the left and the derailing device in action, said derailing device in the present case being rotative and its direction of movement being indicated by the small arrow on the right. The car shown in Fig. 2 is supposed to have become separated from the car in front or in advance of it and, during its descent or a short time after it has commenced to move, it is initially elevated and thereafter swung sidewise.

The derailing device shown in the drawings and on a large scale in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 is made in the form of a cam and is preferably rotatively mounted, for which purpose it may turn upon an axle as 13 which, in the present instance, is stationary and which is provided with a collar as 14 to limit the inward movement of the derailer. The working surface of the cam or derailer 12 is adapted to engage one of the railway rails 11 and, during forward or normal motion of the car 10, the lowest part of the derailing cam 12 is in contact with its cooperating rail 11, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. Should, however, the car 10 accidentally descend a grade the derailing cam 12 by virtue of its engagement with said rail is caused to rotate in a backward direction or to follow the course ofthe small arrow on the right in Fig. 2, thereby raising that end of the car which is equipped with said derailing cam and naturally also elevating the adjacent wheels of the car. It is possible that such an operation as this might check the descent of the car 10. I

prefer, however, to positively derail the car or at least two of the wheels thereof to pre vent such descent, and this I accomplish by providing the said derailing cam, as will hereinafter more particularly appear, with means which, 011 engaging the rail, cause the car to swing sidewise for the purpose set forth.

The axle 12 may be fastened to the car 10 in any desirable way; if desired, there may be two of such axles on the car, located at opposite ends respectively thereof, one axle eing in use at one time and the other axle at another time. Preferably the derailing cam 10 is removably mounted so that it can be taken from the axle at one end of the car and put on the axle at the other end of the car should such be necessary, or so that it can be wholly dismounted should there be no occasion for its use, such as on level rails. The derailing cam 12 may be held removably to the axle 13 in any desirable way, for example, by a pin as 15 adapted to extend through a hole or perforation in the outer projecting end of the axle 13, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. This pin 15 may be connected with the derailing cam 12 in any desirable way, for example, fiexibly, as by a chain 16, the ends of the chain being connected with the head of the pin 15 and cam 12 near the hub of the latter in any suitable way. The head of the pin 15 may be equipped with a hook-shaped keeper as 17 pivoted to said head in any desirable way and the body of which is adapted to extend across the outer end face of the axle 13, while the hook portion of said keeper 17 is adapted for disposition under the outer end portion of said axle.

The working or effective surface of the derailing cam 12 is of progressively increasing radius commencing with the lowest point on said working surface and, during the advancing movement of the car 10 or while said car is at rest, the lowest or substantially lowest point on said cam surface is in contact with one of the rails 11, whereby said derailing cam affects in no wise the progress of the car. Should the car, however, break away from one in advance of it through a rupture of the coupling therebetween, it naturally descends and in descending the derailing cam 12 is caused to rotate so as to cause the rising part thereof to elevate that end of the car which is equipped with said cam. As hereinbefore indicated, the mere elevation of the end of the car equipped with the cam may stop the downward movement of the car. I prefer, however, not to rely on this elevation alone, but, to prevent accidents, to derail the car or at least two of its wheels by swinging it sidewise as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, and this result I can attain by a rib or bead as 18 formed on the operative or effective surface of the cam 12 near the highest portion thereof or at that part which is of greatest radius. This rib or bead 18, in the present case, extends diagonally or obliquely of the working surface of the cam 12 so as to more effectively throw the car sidewise when said rib 18 on the rotation of the cam comes in contact with one of the rails 11. It will be clear, therefore, that, when the cam 12 has nearly completed its working movement, the diagonally or obliquely disposed rib 18 will engage that rail with which said cam cooperates. This will further elevate the lower portion of the car and will at the same time, on the continued but slight further operative movement of the cam 12, swing the car bodily sidewise and will wholly carry the lower wheels out of vertical alinement with the respective rails 11. The lateral motion of the car is quick and immediately following the initial lateral movement of the car, the wheels thereof which are off the track are permitted to descend. It is desirable that undue forward movement of the derailing cam 12 be prevented and this can be accomplished y the cooperation of the two stops 19 and 20, the stop 19 being represented as on the hub of the derailing cam 12, while the stop 20 is shown as formed on the collar 14. The stop 19 strikes the stop 20 just about the time the highest point of the derailing cam engages the coacting rail 11. The derailing rib 18 is approximately V-shaped in cross section, although the apex of the V is somewhat rounded. The rib 18, however, presents approximately two outwardly converging side faces, which construction facilitates the lateral action of said rib on the car and also insures the rib passing clear of the cooperating rail 11 so that, when the derailing operation has been concluded, the elevated part of the car can descend until the derailing cam rests upon the road-bed.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a railway vehicle and a derailing member thereon serving to permit free forward movement of said vehicle and to positively derail said vehicle on the backward movement thereof.

2. The combination of a railway vehicle and a rotary derailing member connected to said vehicle and serving to permit free forward movement of the vehicle and to positively derail the same on backward movement of said vehicle.

3. The combination of a railway vehicle and a derailing member normally engaging a rail on which said vehicle travels and serving to normally permit free forward movement of thevehicle and to automatically and positively derail said vehicle on the backward movement thereof.

4. The combination of a vehicle and a derailing cam movably connected to said vehicle and ada ted to automatically lift the vehicle on tie movement thereof in a certain direction.

5. The combination of a vehicle and a rotary derailing cam connected with said vehicle and adapted to lift and then move the vehicle sidewise during the traveling movement of said vehicle.

6. The combination of a vehicle having a stationary axle and a derailing cam removably connected with said axle and having a movement to first elevate the vehicle and then to shift the vehicle sidewise during-the traveling of said vehicle.

7. The combination of a vehicle, a derailing member rotatably supported by the vehicle, and means for positively limiting the operative movement of said derailing member and in part carried by the latter and by the portion of said vehicle supporting the member.

8. The combination of a vehicle having a stationary axle provided with stop means, a derailing member rotatably mounted on said axle, and means carried by the derailing member to engage the stop means of the axle to limit the operative movement of said derailing member.

9. The combination of a vehicle having an axle, a derailing cam rotatively supported by said axle, and a pin removably engaging a portion of the cam and the axle for removably holding .the cam on the axle.

10. The combination of a vehicle and a rotary derailing cam connected thereto, the working surface of the cam being provided with a derailing portion.

1].. The combination of a vehicle and a rotary derailing cam connected thereto, the working surface of the cam being provided with an obliquely disposed rib.

12. The combination of a vehicle and a rotary derailing cam connected thereto, the working surface of the cam being provided with an obliquely disposed rib having its side faces converging outwardly.

13. The combination of a vehicle and a rotary derailing cam connected thereto, the cam and the part of the vehicle supporting the same having engageable means for limiting the rotation of the cam, and the working surface of the cam having a derailing projection which is brought into engagement with the surface over which the vehicle is moving.

14. The combination of a vehicle and a rotary cam connected thereto, the working surface of the cam being provided with a derailing portion which moves the vehicle sidewise during the traveling movement of said vehicle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT HAMILTON.

Witnesses: G. PooL, H. R. A. HOLL. 

